AR-News: (MI - US) Neighborhood comes together to rescue dog and her puppies

[Snugglezzz at aol.com]

Web posted Wednesday, February 4, 2004 

Neighborhood comes together to rescue dog and her puppies By JOHN CHARLES 
ROBBINS 
Staff writer Neighbors in Holland Heights have rallied around a new mom, 
giving her food and clothes, and making sure she's safe and warm. 
    


  
SHELTER: After roaming the neighborhood of Holland Heights for the past six 
weeks, this stray dog finally found shelter to give birth to at least three 
puppies.

Sentinel/ Dennis R.J. Geppert


    
No one knows her name. No one knows where she came from. But their affection 
for her is as strong as her devotion toward her offspring.Like any good mother 
she's protective and you don't want to get too close to her newborns -- she's 
bound to growl at you. Nick and Bev Leegwater have lived in the Heights for 
nearly 30 years, but it was the shy stray dog who surfaced around New Year's 
Day that helped them make new friends in one of the city's oldest 
communities."We've gotten to know a lot of people we didn't know before," Bev said."We've 
always had a very good rapport with our next door neighbors around our 
property," said Nick, 63. "Now we've gotten to know a few more people because of the 
dog -- that's been neat," he said.

They met Ike and Judy DeGraaf, who first spotted the dog several weeks ago. 
Ike tracked the dog to her current dog-made safe haven, a small den she dug 
among dead trees near a dry creekbed."It's really kind of a neat thing. Everybody 
is concerned," said Bev, 56, noting with pride how folks in the neighborhood 
have been taking turns feeding the dog.The dog has been wandering the cold, 
wet streets and snow-choked yards of Holland Heights for about six weeks.The 
animal's arrival in the east side community coincided with this winter's coldest 
temperatures so far, a chilling fact not lost on her adoptive parents."She's a 
beautiful dog," Bev said, wondering out loud how the dog survived some of 
those frigid January nights.Nick stressed that the dog, possibly a retriever-chow 
mix, has not been a nuisance or a threat.He's been busy keeping the new 
shelter dry and warm, stuffing a couple of large T-shirts inside and making sure 
mom has plenty of fresh water and good food, especially now that the puppies 
have arrived.On Tuesday, Nick was fussing over the medium-sized dog with the 
reddish brown hair.Like the typical doting father, Nick quietly led a visitor down 
a narrow snow path, into a stand of trees where the den is located -- but not 
too close.Earlier Tuesday, Nick had headed over to Chow Hound on Waverly 
Road.Pacing before the seemingly endless number of dog food choices, a clerk asked 
Nick if he needed help. He told his story and asked for the best chow for a 
nursing mother.Next thing you know, Nick's headed out the door with a 2-pound 
bag of HealthWise Chicken Meal & Rice dog food."He said it was the best for the 
mother," said Nick.He's the only person who's been able to get close enough 
to see at least three thriving puppies. "They look like they're in pretty good 
shape," he said with a broad smile.Another new acquaintance of the Leegwaters 
is Mary TenHarmsel, who lives nearby and happens to have extensive experience 
with animal care.TenHarmsel works for a pet disaster program of the local 
American Red Cross, a volunteer group that helps find shelter for pets whose 
owners have been displaced by fire or other events.She said an area veterinarian, 
Dr. Eric Heitman of Ottawa Animal Hospital, has agreed to take the dog and her 
puppies, if the neighbors can figure out a safe way to gather up the animals 
for transport."I did offer to help Mary out ... to take care of the dog and the 
puppies, and try to nurse them back to health, and see if we can find good 
homes for them," Heitman said Tuesday.While the offer is generous, what the 
Leegwaters and others would prefer is to hear from the dog's owner, who may be 
worrying about where his or her pet has gone."It would be great if someone called 
and said it was his," said Bev.In the meantime, the people of Holland Heights 
will continue to look after her."Everybody's had a heart for this little 
dog," she said.

        

     
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